Joseph C. DuBay, 76, federal training manager

May 07, 2004

Joseph C. DuBay, a retired federal training manager and immediate past president of Maryland Right to Life, died of cancer Tuesday at his Catonsville home. He was 76.

Mr. DuBay's association with the anti-abortion group spanned 20 years, culminating in six years as its president. He became involved in the cause through the Maryland Knights of Columbus, which had appointed him and his wife, the former Anne Marie Lacey, as the first couple to head its right-to-life program.

"He was very compassionate and felt very strongly about life itself and how precious it was," said his wife of 53 years.

Mr. DuBay worked for 32 years for two federal agencies, retiring in 1983. As a civilian employee at Aberdeen Proving Ground, he wrote manuals and trained military personnel in the use of tanks and other equipment. Later, at the Social Security Administration in Woodlawn, he trained managers in executive skills.

Born in Baltimore, he was a 1945 graduate of Calvert Hall College High School and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Loyola College. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1945, serving in Texas and California until his discharge as a sergeant in 1948.

He served two terms as district deputy for the Maryland State Council of Knights of Columbus. He was a grand knight of the Patapsco Council and served as president of the Baltimore chapter.

A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. tomorrow at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church, 26 Melvin Ave., Catonsville.

He is also survived by a son, Denis DuBay of Raleigh, N.C.; a daughter, Valerie Broermann of Cincinnati; and four granddaughters.